My Valentine
by Aragarna
Summary: Peter and Elizabeth's first Valentine's Day


_**Author's Note:**__ Many thanks to the awesome Sholio for the beta. _

_Title from Paul McCartney's song, My Valentine._

**My Valentine**

Valentine's Day. Elizabeth had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, she liked the idea of celebrating love, but on the other it was nice only if you had a Valentine to celebrate with… She'd had a few Valentines over the years, but Valentine's days had always seemed forced, unnatural, like you _had_ to be in love that day. In the end, most of her Valentine's days had been rather anticlimactic and disappointing, and Elizabeth had learned not to raise her expectations too much.

Her new Valentine was truly a very nice man, decent and smart, but flirting was definitely not his forte. So she wasn't expecting this first Valentine's Day with Peter to be any different than the others. But that was because they had been dating for only two and a half months, and Elizabeth didn't know Peter completely, yet.

"What do you want to do on Valentine's Day?" he asked. They were walking in the street that night, coming out of a delicious restaurant that was way above both their pay grades, but he had insisted on inviting her nonetheless.

They were holding each other's gloved hands, fingers intertwined. He stopped to look at her, giving her one of his warm and deep looks that made her melt inside.

She shrugged it off. "Oh we don't have to do anything special, you know."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's not like we have to be in love on command. And it's just a commercial thing invented by flower sellers…"

Peter tilted his head, a boyish grin on his lips, sparkles lighting his eyes. "Actually, it was initiated by the Romans, as the day to celebrate fertility."

And they say cops are ignorant…

El laughed. "They were so romantic those Romans…"

A few days later, as he was driving Elizabeth to work, Peter asked her again.

"You're sure you don't want to do anything on Valentine's Day?"

She turned in her seat to look at him. He glanced at her sideways, visibly not at ease. She put her hand on his thigh.

"Peter, I'm sorry. If you want to do something, of course, we will."

"No, it's not that. It's just. It doesn't matter. But –" Elizabeth couldn't help but think that even his ramblings were cute. Peter took a deep breath. "My sister told me that women say they don't want anything special but then if you don't do anything they're disappointed. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

As they stopped at a red light, Peter turned to look at her, his puppy eyes crying for help.

"I'm not good that this, El. If you want something, just say it."

El smiled. "Kiss me…"

A large smile appeared on Peter's face before he diligently complied.

An angry honk informed them the light was green and they parted, giggling like teenagers.

Peter parked the car in front of the gallery.

"You do special things for me all the time. You take me to fancy restaurants that I like more than you do."

"That's not true."

"Don't deny, I noticed. And it's really nice of you. You drive me to work when I stay over."

Peter shrugged. "That's not special, that's basic good manners."

A smiled appeared on the corner of El's lips. "All I want for Valentine's Day is you," she said before putting a delicate kiss on Peter's lips and hopping off the car.

It was planned that this Tuesday night, she would stay at Peter's place. Of course, unable to avoid the hundreds of ads and giant billboards, El couldn't ignore that that Tuesday was Valentine's Day. But Peter had stopped mentioning it, and she assumed it was settled that they wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary.

Peter came to pick her up at the gallery right on time. He had made a habit of waiting for her outside the gallery, not wanting to disturb her at work, but pleased to walk her up to the car. He kissed her tenderly and she lingered a moment in his embrace.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said, with a warm smile as they walked side by side to the car.

"Hi, honey."

The new nickname made Peter chuckle. "Oh, so I'm honey, now?"

El laughed. "You're sweet and soft. You're a natural medicine. Besides, "darling" sounds too stiff-necked."

"Does that make you my queen bee?"

"I guess…"

Peter held the passenger door for her, before getting in the car himself. He asked her about her day, and she asked him about his. El couldn't help but wonder if he knew it was Valentine's Day. Should she have greeted him with a "Happy Valentine's Day"? Was he expecting something? After all his questions, it seemed weird not to even mention it at all. But he could also have said something. Maybe he had forgotten. Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, which was absolutely silly, since they had agreed it wasn't anything special. But still, he could at least have mentioned it… El laughed at herself inwardly. Peter – well, Peter's sister – was so right.

It was not until they stood on Peter's threshold that El noticed his suspicious smile. He opened the door and stepped back to let her in. El's mouth fell open. Peter had arranged his little dining table in the middle of the living room. It was all set already.

As El stood in the middle of the room, Peter lit 2 candles and put them on the table. A huge smile crossed his face as he looked back at El, obviously proud of his little effect.

"Nothing special, as you said. It is an ordinary table, laid with ordinary tableware, 2 very ordinary candles, for a very ordinary dinner."

Back to her senses, El took out her coat.

"So, what's the ordinary menu?" she asked.

"An ordinary pot-roast with potatoes, served with an ordinary red wine."

Peter came closer and slid his arms around El's waist, tugging her against his body, his chocolate eyes enveloping her with their warmth.

"Happy ordinary day, my very special little bee," he whispered in her ear.

El put her arms around his neck and kissed him lovingly.

"I love you, honey."

FIN


End file.
